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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

However, the web has introduced me to many interesting pianists and musicians around the world, several of whom have now become friends. I do not use the web per se, just to get interesting contacts to whom I then write and exchange ideas at the personal level.

The web has enabled me to purchase recordings and scores I could have obtained in no other way.

The web has thousands of interesting essays and articles about music and piano playing. Many of these have helped me considerably.

The web, largely through its forums, has enabled me to help a surprising number of people. I would not have thought myself much use to anybody concerning music and playing the piano but it has turned out that I am. This is a pleasing consequence of the web.

So, to answer the title question as it stands, without restriction to just videos, I would have to say that the impact of the web on my music has been completely positive in every way.

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"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" - Aleister Crowley

i, too, don't watch videos of others - with the obvious exception of wonderful precious ones like Michealangeli, Cortot, Rubinstein etc on YouTube because otherwise, i would have no way of watching them play. of course they're good not only for learning purposes, but also for enjoyment.

I watch quite a few internet performances. For the last 7 years, I lived in West Texas and didn't get a chance to see many good pianists perform, so watching videos and listening to recordings on the internet has been a nice way to stay connected.

I'll probably watch less now that I live in a piano-friendly college town (lots of live performances here in IC.)

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"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." (John Holt)

Definitely positive, for many reasons others have listed like access to information and performance videos, and feeling like a part of a music community. And what about the astounding amount of public-domain sheet music that's freely available?

I can't see any downside other than the amount of time I spend at the computer. But I used to sit in front of one all day at work, so I'm used to it—and I watch a lot less television.

Negative effect on my playing (if I had spent the time practicing that I do here or surfing looking for performances on disc or YouTube, I'd be a lot better), but it's certainly taught me a lot, made some friends, and helped me increase my CD collection. I'm unlikely to catch up with Kluurs in that area, however

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There is no end of learning. -Robert Schumann Rules for Young Musicians

Very, very positive. I love messing around with different music, even if it's way beyond my technique. I find it very helpful to hear what the piece is (at least nominally) supposed to sound like before launching in to it. Maybe it's a lack of formal training, but I often have difficulty guessing the way something should sound like without hearing it (Szymanowski sonatas, most recent).

Also I find it very inspiring to see great performances. I spent a few minutes last PM watching Horowitz play Scriabin etudes. If that doesn't make you want to practice I don't know what can.

And finally, I had never heard of Marc-Andre Hamelin, Martha Argerich, Georges Cziffra, or Claudio Arrau (to name a few) until I hit youtube. Am I ignorant? Yeah, I guess so. There were certain pianists I liked and I tended to always buy their CDs (Horowitz, Rubinstein, Brendel, Ashkenazy, Van Cliburn, Richter, a few others). Lesson learned. Youtube has opened my eyes to a lot of great pianists.

For all of the above I must say that the web has had a very positive impact on me, at least with respect to music and the piano. If the stupid spam in my email would just go away . . .

Definitely positive. If it wasn't for the internet, I wouldn't be taking lessons right now.

It may sound weird or ignorant, but I always thought that the process of music learning was forbidden to adults, that it was a privilege for children. If you didn't take lessons as a child, oh what a pity you're definitely late, there's no second chance for you. But surfing the net I learn there is not only possible for an adult to learn, but also that there're LOTS of adult students doing really well.

As for youtube, I have found there interpreters and music which have inspired me and widen my musical horizons.

Definitely positive. Through the web I can consult with other pianists and musicians. This is something I can't do here. Also I find many other pianist at different levels playing the same repertoire on YouTube. I also get to hear new pieces that I have no chance of hearing otherwise. I also enjoy studying theory through the various online ear training media.

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It don't mean a ting if it don't have dat swing

The Web has had absolutely no influence on my playing at all. It has influenced my shopping and my personal communications, it has revolutionized my research and work life, but has had no influence on my piano playing per se, other than to allow me to order special editions of repertoire that might not be available in our little city.

One thing I'll say for the internet: it is a double edged sword. On one hand, it allows for unprecedented access to music in all forms and it allows for the viewing of great performers from the 1930s on. Want to learn a Billy Joel song? 10 minute lesson on youtube and you've got it. But the internet has caused me to learn more silly pieces such as 1,000 miles by Vanessa Carlton and the Super Mario theme song (surprisingly complex) just because they are available to me.

If fingering issues should arise, this forum is a huge help.

The other edge of the sword: Just imagine what the world would be like if we all practiced for as much time as we spend on the internet.

I've spent way too much time exploring the musical back alleys of YouTube, and I don't regret any of it. I've seen and heard performances there that, but for the tiny space they're staged in, rival some of the best live concerts I've seen. This thread inspired me to go back for another look tonight, and I stumbled across something memorable that I wanted others to know about.

Nelson Freire has been one of my favorite living pianists since I first heard him 20 years ago. Tonight, I found one smaller and one huge video about him on You Tube. The smaller one, the great finale from Beethoven's Waldstein sonata, was filmed at a Cliburn Foundation concert last year. The music is pure magic. Here's the link:

The big piece is a 10-part Brazilian documentary about Freire (with English sub-titles) which features lots of footage with him joking and playing with Martha Argerich, reminiscing about Guiomar Novaes, and playing solo and concerto pieces all over the world. Some very interesting musings about the solitary life of the concert pianist. It's been a long time since I said this, but this film reminded me how glad I am to have made a career in law rather than music. And to be grateful that there are even a few people in the world with the talent possessed by Nelson Freire. Here's the link to Part 1 -- you;ll find the other 9 once you get there.

i only used to play chopin etudes.. i had learned very little else. I fell in love with Bach, dabbled in Mozart, Schumann, Rachmaninoff and Scarlatti, met a fantastic teacher, met many friends, many of whom have come to my house for parties and such, found a piano job, bought a super piano.

it led me to know that piano could be a very big part of my life rather than just a fleeting pasttime.

i owe my much of my happiness to Piano World.

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accompanist/organist.. a non-MTNA teacher to a few